Hi Dennis,
I think with a budget of that size, wholesale really isn't an option, but it certainly gives you an advantage as you don't need to kick off with dropshipping. A possible avenue you might want to consider would be liquidation, but it's a market you really need to research heavily before investing in it due to there being plenty of pitfalls that an inexperienced dealer can easily fall in to.
You spoke of second hand, I'm personally a HUGE fan of second hand, especially on large platforms like an eBay. If you can talk a good deal, then I think you could take just a few hundred of your budget and kick off by hitting some quality yard sales (garage sales), as well as some local markets and possibly even some charity type shops as well.
The key to secondhand is knowing your product and being able to talk a good deal. Put those two things into practice and you give yourself an excellent chance of succeeding in this market.